I am so excited to share this post with you! I have loved sharing all of our travels with you this summer but this trip takes the cake! If you have been tossing around the idea of visiting Charleston or wondering where to take your next family vacation, I can promise that you will not regret a visit to this charming city. Voted the #1 city in the U.S and World in Travel and Leisure’s 2016 World’s Best Awards, we have now decided to make Charleston a yearly vacation spot for our family. After spending an entire week there we left feeling like there would still be more to do and see. We would honestly love to repeat the entire week again.
I hope you enjoy my guide to Charleston!
The Beaches
The beaches in Charleston were definitely some of the best we have ever visited in the U.S. The water is so warm–like bath water. We never once used a towel to dry off–the moment we would get out of the water we would be dry within minutes due to the heat.
aqua & yellow swimsuit // beach towel
Our favorite beach was the Isle of Palms. Very family friendly with bathrooms and showers to rinse the sand off. Our perfect day was going to the Isle of Palms (make sure to go early to find parking), swimming in the ocean, making sand castles, and then walking the beach to find seashells. We always ate lunch at Coconut Joes which was perfect for delicious cheeseburgers, fries, and shake. One little tip about the Isle of Palms beach is to call before you head to the beach for chairs and umbrellas. It was so incredibly nice to get the beach and already have chairs and shade waiting for us. We also were able to find starfish, see crabs & stingrays on the beach as well!
Folly Beach was another we visited. It wasn’t busy which we loved but the sand is more sticky at this beach–not at fun with kids. **I did learn though that baby powder helps remove any sand from their skin! I loved experiencing a different beach but Isle of Palms remained a favorite. We ate at Rita’s Cafe for lunch and was SO good. Highly recommended and is just a short walk from the beach.
The last beach we went to was Sullivan’s Island. We only went here in the evening as it does not have restrooms and showers to rinse off sand but it is the most beautiful beach for an evening stroll at sunset.
The Eats
One thing is for sure, some of the best restaurants can be found in Charleston. We experienced quite a few different restaurants with the help of Yelp.
Here are the best restaurants we ate at during our visit that I would highly recommend:
Husk – This is a must if you are in Charleston. It had the most amazing food and surroundings. However, if you have little ones I would just recommend going for lunch as it becomes more of a nicer sit down restaurant for adults at night.
Rita’s Cafe – Sullivan’s Island – Perfect for lunch
Orlandos Pizza – Fabulous pizza but it is a “seat yourself” restaurant which made it hard for us to find enough seating for a group of 8.
Vickery’s – The food was okay but it was neat to eat outside. Dolphins have been spotted at this restaurant as you eat right on the water. We didn’t see any but loved the gorgeous walk on the pier after dinner.
Poogan’s Smokehouse – This was a favorite of the entire group. A fun, trendy atmosphere with great BBQ.
Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit – Perfect for breakfast/brunch! I begged to go to this restaurant because of the reviews I read. It definitely lived up to the reviews and was such a fun restaurant to visit with it’s fun farmhouse feel. There is limited seating so it is more of a take on-the-go type of restaurant.
Five Loaves Bread – Awesome for a “lady’s who lunch” type of meal. It was great for unique salads, soups, and sandwiches.
Blondies Bagels – The best bagels I have ever eaten
Page’s Okra Grill – If you want a authentic southern meal, this is where it is at!
Tropical Smoothie Cafe – We did a ton of eating so for a few meals, (0r snacks) we loved going to get these smoothies. The bahama mama and mocha madness was my favorite.
Poe’s Tavern – A perfect place for a great burger. Wasn’t one of my favorites but the hubby loved it. We went for ice cream at The BeardCats after and then a walk on the beach on Sullivan’s Island. All within walking distance which was great!
Desserts…
BeardCat Sweet Shop – Amazing gelato with a “hip” atmosphere.
Jenis Ice Cream – This is an absolute must if you visit Charleston. Some of the best ice cream I have ever eaten. They have tons of very unique flavors. I had the salted peanut butter chocolate chip and the buttered popcorn.
The Sights
Charleston is one of the most photogenic cities I have ever visited. Everywhere you look there is something pretty to look at and see. Even the little alley ways have the most beautiful ivy climbing up old historic brick.
Rainbow Row – Located on Easy Bay St, this is such a must see filled with most charming and historic houses.
King Street- Such a fun place to shop and eat with modern stores/boutiques in beautiful historic buildings
Fishing – All the guys in our group chartered a boat one day for some deep-sea fishing and had blast.
Parks – So many beautiful parks in Charleston and most are just filled with oak trees making for a gorgeous photo background.
Shem’s Creek – A perfect boardwalk for an evening stroll
Next Time…
We have already begun to plan our next trip to Charleston. I think we will repeat everything I listed above with a trip to a plantation– Magnolias Plantation and Gardens or Middleton Place.
We would also love to take a scenic boat tour on our next vacation.
And last, I would love to try the following restaurants next time. These all had great food reviews:
I hope this guide can help you on your trip to Charleston or persuade you to take a visit!
Have you been to Charleston before? What are some of your recommendations?
4 comments
We were just in Charleston for the second time and feel like we learned so much more. And the food is ah-mazing! Gorgeous pictures!
xx,
Alecia – La Joie de Vivre
i’m a born & raised charlestonian and it truly is a lovely place.
ridiculously overrun now and not as charming as it used to be, but still really gorgeous! <3
This is a great guide – thank you so much! We have never been but after reading all your reccs, we would definitely like to make a road trip out of it. Any reccomendation on where to stay?
We actually stayed in a friend’s summer house so I don’t, but we are going again possibly twice next year and will be renting a beach home hopefully. I know there are great sites to renting homes near the beach that could be affordable and great to be close to a beach. I will see what I can find for you!